This Week in History, 1949: Louis Armstrong is denied a room at the Hotel Vancouver, and John McGinnis photographs it

On Jan. 30, 1949, John McGinnis’ disc jockey friend Jack Cullen phoned to tell him that jazz legend Louis Armstrong had arrived at the Great Northern Railway station from Seattle.

Armstrong was here for a weeklong stint at the Palomar Supper Club, his first local appearance in years. Armstrong was going over to the Hotel Vancouver to book a room, so McGinnis went there to get a photo for The Province.

But when he arrived, he was shocked to see Armstrong being denied a room because he was black.

“This guy came over to the (desk clerk) and said, ‘Get that black ass bastard out of here,’” McGinnis recalled.

“We don’t book blacks, are you nuts?’ This is the Vancouver Hotel! And this kid to his credit was so embarrassed he quietly said, ‘Mr. Armstrong, come outside, I think I can get a place for you across the street.’”